Bearings Used in Space Technologies: Engineering for the Final Frontier

Bearings Used in Space Technologies: Engineering for the Final Frontier
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 11, 2025

One of the many critical systems that make satellite operations, space research, space observatories, space explorations, and space missions possible is space technology, where the need for space-qualified bearings is pivotal.

These mission-critical space-grade bearings are configured to overcome the challenges of space and ensure the success and longevity of high-value missions, on which the failure of a single component would mean the end. Let's see the significance, types, considerations, and future of bearings used in space technologies and understand how they made interstellar exploration and innovation possible.

The Role of Bearings in Space Applications

Bearings are a vital mechanical component that allows rotary or linear relative motion of two objects. In simple words, it reduces the friction between two moving surfaces. They are widely used in vehicles, home appliances, and terrestrial applications. However, in space technologies, bearings are an integral part of complex, high-precision, sophisticated systems. Some of the space technologies that rely heavily on bearings are:

Satellite positioning systems
+ Robotic arms on spacecraft
+ Deployable solar arrays
+ Gyroscopic stabilization devices
+ Telescope lens assemblies
+ Actuators and reaction wheels
+ Space exploration rovers and landers

Types of Bearings Used in Space Technologies

Different types of high-performance bearings have been developed to fulfill the industrial requirements of space applications. The types of bearings used in a space environment often include:

Angular Contact Ball Bearings

These bearings are used in gyroscopes, reaction wheels, and mechanical assemblies that require high-speed performance and accurate positioning. They can bear both radial and axial loads. This is very convenient for dynamic machinery operations.

Deep Groove Ball Bearings

These are applicable in relatively lighter load conditions with good all-around capabilities, as supplements for satellite antenna drives and small actuators.

Crossed Roller Bearings

These are seminal for their rigidity and accuracy of rotation, and find applications in space telescope assemblies and robotic arms that demand small spaces and precise motion control.

Spherical Bearings

Commonly used for gimbals and joints, these have a central axis around which motion takes place and are suited for robotic arms and sensor mountings where articulation is necessary.

Hybrid Bearings

Hybrid bearings counter the drawbacks of regular steel bearings, owing to their ceramics (usually silicon nitride) balls and steel alloy shells. They are ideal as candidates for vacuum applications, as the balls are not magnetic, are less prone to out-gassing, lighter than steel, resistant to corrosion, and abrasion. They are not known to spark and are considered the best choice in dealing with lunar and interplanetary travel.

Applications in Modern Space Systems

There is practically no project in space that does not require bearings. Some examples of use:

+ Mars Rovers by NASA: bearings are an integral part of their wheel hubs, arm joints, and cameras. They are designed to be operational through abrasive Mars dust, temperature shocks, and months-long missions.

+ Hubble or James Webb Space Telescopes: bearings are used for high-precision fine motion control of focusing mechanisms, as precise as micron-level, and to give absolutely smooth motion to solar arrays for pointing.

+ Geo-stationary Satellites: These attend to attitude change and orientation of solar arrays. The bearings must work non-stop for 15-year missions without a single failure or lubrication.

+ International Space Station: Robot arm, such as Canadarm2, uses bearings for smooth and precise attitude control, docking, repairs, etc.

Bearings in Space technologies

Bearings for space applications are small in size but not in importance. They help solar panels rotate smoothly, steer robotic arms and science instruments, and are at the heart of every space endeavor. Every time a new bearing is designed, we are one step closer to defining the limits of what humans can do and where we can go.

The only way to do it is through more advanced, higher-performing, and innovative components. As space missions become larger and address new challenges, bearings must become more reliable, precise, and forward-thinking. Because for all the difference a bearing can make, it can really only count if it survives, and even thrives, in a place where virtually nothing else can.